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Very Rev. John D. Fleckenstein, V.E.Episcopal Vicar for Education

OVERVIEW

In the last several months, the Episcopal Vicar of Education, in cooperation with the Secretariat for Catholic Education and New Evangelization with its Superintendent and staff, have made great strides towards moving forward the Diocesan priority of “Advancing Catholic Schools.” Over one year ago, the Vicar of Education identified five major areas of focus which would lead towards enriching and growing the Catholic Schools within the Diocese of Kalamazoo. Those five areas are:

I. Vision and EvangelizationII. Catholic IdentityIII. Leadership and GovernanceIV. Academic ExcellenceV. Financial Accessibility

The following provides an update on efforts currently being done. This report is not meant to be an exhaustive list. Instead, it is an update to information previously released by the Diocese.

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I. Vision and Evangelization / II. Catholic Identity

Common Vision StatementThe following Vision Statement has been developed and is proposed for use by the Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Kalamazoo in the future:

The MORE Factor

A Mission Ordered towards Reaching Eternal life.

“In the spirit of Blessed John Paul II’s call for a New Evangelization, Catholic Schools of the Diocese of Kalamazoo desire to respond to this transformative invitation to holiness with a firm and renewed zeal. As a multi-culturally diverse institution, we joyfully embrace the universal vocation to holiness. We are a community centered in the Eucharistic Christ and an educational system of the highest standards, rooted in our Catholic faith. Our goal is to equip students with an excellent education and a solid faith formation so each student may know the faith confidently, live the faith in a community where families and teachers work together to advocate for each other's salvation and Sainthood, and share the faith with relevance and loving courage throughout their lives.”

At present, the task is to communicate the Vision Statement and develop an instrument by which all 24 schools within the Diocese are evaluated based on its elements.

MORE Website

A website has been developed to communicate a common vision and value of Catholic Education for schools across the Diocese. The launching of the website is scheduled for Catholic Schools Week January 27th- February 2nd, 2013.

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Facets of the website include:• A visualization of the “Advancing Catholic Schools” initiative for a Unified Mission,

Unified Schools, and Excelling Academics.• A short film has been produced titled, “In These Hallways”, portraying the vision

statement and expressing the eternal value of a Catholic education. This will be available on the website.

• A common events calendar among CSGK and BCACS schools has been implemented and is made available through the website.

• A simple roster of schools each with their own splash page highlights the assets of each school and directs you to their individual websites.

• Regular updates and news regarding the “Advancing Catholic Schools” initiative is made easily accessible on the front page of the website.

• A Faith Infusion “forum” is being developed on the site. Past issues are made available here as well as other relevant information pertaining to the “Domestic Church” will be posted in a blog format as well.

Parent Faith Formation Program

The Battle Creek Area Catholic Schools piloted the first step in a parent faith formation process entitled “Faith Infusion”. This bi-weekly “email blast” received by all parents and families of students within the system has grown into a Diocesan-wide online publication. The “Faith Infusion” which is sent bi-weekly is directly sent to all families of children attending Catholic schools in the Diocese and a few parishes as well, those who subscribe to the email blast, as well as Facebook. (For a sample of the current “blast,” simply go to Facebook and search “Faith Infusion.”)

Faith Infusion has grown to incorporate written contributions from priests, school administrators, teachers, and other local Catholic leaders for its “Gospel Reflection” section of the publication. This has been a fruitful development connecting families with such leaders across the diocese, increasing a sense of community and Catholic identity. Future plans for Faith Infusion include extending its reach to all 59 parishes.

MORE Parish and School “Toolkit”

Coinciding with the launch of the website and Catholic Schools Week a MORE “toolkit” will be sent to all 24 schools and 59 parishes.

This effort is to emphasize the primacy of being a Eucharistic-centered educational system and will aid in informing our community on the past and current efforts of “Advancing Catholic Schools”.

The MORE “toolkit” helps to:

• Share and spread the Catholic Schools campaign for the upcoming year.

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• Introduce and reinforce newly revised mission statement for pastors, school administrators, teachers, and families within each Deanery of our Diocese.

• Promote unity within the Diocese and reinforce the school community in prayer within each Deanery.

Contents of MORE “toolkit”:• Written introduction and instruction on how to share the MORE within your parish and

school• Links to the Video and website

• Prayer Card

• Brochure

• Poster

Instrument to Measure Catholic Identity

Superintendents across the Province are working on a document based on the work of Loyola University called, “The National Standards and Benchmarks for Effective Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools”.

Vocations Program in all Catholic Schools

A committee has been formed and will continue to meet during the 2012-2013 school year for implementation of the program within the 2012-2013/2013-2014 school years.

Uniforms in Schools

At the recommendation of the Episcopal Vicar for Education and the Diocesan Superintendent of Schools, the Bishop has approved the requirement that all Catholic Schools within the Diocese implement a policy regarding the wearing of uniforms beginning in the 2012-2013 school year. This requirement has been fulfilled by all schools.

III. Leadership and Governance / IV. Academic Excellence

New Instrument to Evaluate School AdministratorsA new instrument to evaluate school principals (administrators) has been developed and has been implemented in the schools.

*Attendance of the Diocesan Catechetical Conference on October 5th , 2013 has been made mandatory this year for all school teachers. Due to the religious nature of this conference, federal Title monies are not available to offset the cost. Therefore, as we work to strengthen the academics and professionalism of our schools and staff, all principals were made aware at the November meeting that there will be an annual expense as we continue to move forward. Each principal was asked to take the information to both their pastors and school finance departments for help with the pre-planning.

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Changes to Diocesan Policy Manual

The Diocesan Policy Manual for Catholic Schools has been revised and promulgated to include the role of the Episcopal Vicar for Education.

LCAB Training

The Local Consultative/Advisory Board (either a school board, education commission or education committee) recommends policies to the pastor and school administrator. Additionally, the LCAB proposes an annual school budget and assesses the educational programs, the school administrator’s effectiveness, and LCAB’s effectiveness, and the effectiveness of LCAB policies. The LCAB is a consultative body, not a decision-making body.

Last year all members of School Advisory Boards were required to attend training on the role of the Board, and those who did not attend a training session lost their voting privileges until the training was completed. New members will be trained annually.

Implementation of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Program

We are confident that Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is the leading program for teaching young children about the faith. We have made it a priority to work hand in hand with our schools to provide the necessary aid as we acquire the tools necessary to move towards excellence. So far we have met our goal of having a minimum of one person trained in the Level I CGS program for each Elementary. A Level I program for ages 3 – 5yrs has been implemented in either the preschool or kindergarten of each Elementary School throughout the Diocese. Some schools have the program in both of these grades. Due to the growing desire among other catechists for training, as well as, the desire to extend the training to our Religious Education Catechists, a second Level I, Part I will be pursued. Atriums will be in place for CGS trainees making their total expense for the training only $400.00 per person, per session.

Future efforts include the discussion among Principals to open a Level II atrium for ages 6 – 9 (grades 1, 2, 3).

Dignity of the Human Person program

A committee has been formed to develop an extensive K-12 “Dignity of the Human Person” incorporation into school curriculum, which we believe to be the first of its kind in the country. Implementation of some parts of the program began in the 2012-2013 school year and continues to move forward.

High Schools Theology Curriculum

A revised high school theology curriculum is in the final stages of development and should be approximately 90% implemented for the 2012-2013 school year.

Examination of School Test Scores

Test scores are being evaluated and direction is being given to improve test scores in those schools who are falling anywhere below Diocesan standards.

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Additionally, a “testing committee” was formed to evaluate the standardized testing program which is currently in use in the schools. It has been recommended by the school administrators that the currently-used IOWA testing be discontinued and the NWEA testing will be implemented because it gives the Diocese more comprehensive information, immediate feedback on students to schools, is taken on-line therefore making administering the test shorter and easier, and for the same amount of money students can take the test three times per year which gives better data to improve instruction. All teachers will be provided in-service to this new testing in the coming months.

Technology

A technology director for the Alliance schools has been named. An examination of the need for assistant directors in certain schools/regions is ongoing.

Support has been provided to the charter members of the “Alliance of Catholic Schools”, BCACS, and CSGK. Areas of support are continuing to be evaluated for each schools..

BCACS• Performed an evaluative walkthrough for all buildings with administration staff.• Working to get all three buildings on the same computer network and improve internet

filtering• A 2001 Hackett graduate (World of CROM) has offered to donate time and resources to

BCACS to review the network infrastructure and determine what is necessary in order to get them up to current standards.

• Both World of CD-ROM and CSGK have resources that they are willing to share with BCACS as needed.

St. Margaret’s in Otsego

• Replaced their old switches with new ones and improved network speed and uptime.• Lab computers will be replaced with 18 computers from Hackett.• Teacher/staff computers will be replaced with 10 computers from St. Augustine School• World of CD-ROM will donate time to look at installing network drops in each classroom.

St. Mary’s in Paw Paw• The former technology director at CSGK is helping St. Mary’s• A computer lab will be created with 18-20 computers donated by St. Monica School• Investigating the installation of a server to allow shared folders among

staff/teachers/students Other aspects of technology integration we are looking at or are in progress:

• Hosting of schools’ staff email accounts• Filtering of Schools’ web traffic• Providing Microsoft Office 2010 to schools for all staff and student computers.• Providing schools with login accounts and storage ability. Connecting accounts, having a

server on site, and expanding internet bandwidth.

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21st Century Teaching and Learning: • The way schools deliver information to students is changing. • The primary goal of a 1:1 Initiative is to instruct students in the way that they learn. • A device is not the focus of this goal, but is a tool that is used in changing the way we

teach. • The second primary goal of this initiative is to further level the playing field and create an

equal opportunity for all learners. Every student will have access to the technology they need to interact and learn in our media and technology saturated world.

Common goals for a 1:1• To improve equity of access to technology• To improve the quality of learning• To institute and support best practices in technology integration• To improve student learning of content• To aid in the development of skills needed for college and the workforce• To institute formative assessments and differentiated instruction• To increase performance on standardized tests• To improve student ability to become lifelong learners• To prepare students for the world of work• To improve the home-school connection• To replace print textbooks with electronic textbooks. • To reduce paper consumption.

A “One to One” Initiative

A committee has been formed at CSGK to implement a 1:1 Initiative. A “One to One” initiative is where every teacher and student has a computing device for use in problem-solving and completing assignments in a way that promotes the concept of the 21st century learner.

The first question might be: Why are we doing this? Basically because the ways schools deliver information to students is changing. Students are growing up in a very different learning environment from the one in which their parents grew up. Computing, the internet and digital technology are developing exponentially, which requires us to change how we prepare the student for college and the workforce.

Preschool Report Cards

A common preschool report card is being implemented in the Diocese and a grade 6 standards-based report card is being piloted this year.

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V. Financial Accessibility

Centralized Purchasing

The first step in centralizing purchasing for all schools within the Diocese has been implemented beginning with textbooks.

• The Math curriculum of the Diocese was the first textbooks to be implemented in this process beginning next school year. All schools will purchase their back-to-school supplies through School Speciality in order to reduce costs and receive consortium pricing.

• We are currently moving forward with English/Language Arts for grades K-8 for the upcoming year to allow schools to make necessary budgetary plans.

Development of the Alliance of Catholic Schools of the Diocese of Kalamazoo

Extensive work has been done to create the “Alliance of Catholic Schools of the Diocese of Kalamazoo.” At the outset, the Catholic Schools of Greater Kalamazoo and the Battle Creek Area Catholic Schools will be the charter members. Currently, the Canonical and Legal implications of such an Alliance are being evaluated. Additionally, there are several Dioceses within the country that have implemented such “Alliances” or “Consortiums” and these processes are being compared and evaluated for use in our schools.

Some of the projects related to the “Alliance” include:

• To prepare and develop payroll, payables, and financial reporting procedures for all schools through the resources of KRESA.

• A new Chart of Accounts has been developed for all Alliance schools.. CSGK schools will convert to the Chart of Accounts on January 1, 2013, and BCACS will convert July 1, 2013.

• A new financial reporting process has been developed and will be implemented by CSGK beginning January 1, 2013, and BCACS beginning July 1, 2013.

• Successfully tested the new payroll process in the Fall of 2012.. • Centralizing the payroll process for BCACS and CSGK is on hold pending resolution of

the potential implementation of the proposed state-wide MCC payroll system.• In January 2013, the Alliance will issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) for maintenance

supplies and equipment. A member of the Alliance Financial Team will review the RFP responses.

The benefits of standardizing and centralizing the following items are being examined for schools that are part of the “Alliance”:

• HR policies and Employee Manual• Accounting Systems• Budgeting• Banking

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• Enrollment Process• Grading System and Student Information Systems• Tuition Scales and Tuition discounts• Tuition Assistance Programs• Past-due tuition collection policies• Salary Scales

• Examination of Parish Subsidies• Food Service Operations• Capital Project approval process• TRIP/SCRIP programs• Clubs/fundraisers• Remote data entry• Contracts

Provincial Wide Support

The Episcopal Vicar of Education has met with the Bishops of Michigan and twice with the Superintendents of all Dioceses within the State of Michigan. Collectively, there is progress being made on examining the possibilities of:

• Standardizing Theological formation within the Province;• Cyber schooling and sharing of online resources within the Province;• Financial subsidies and examining a “fourth source of funding” for schools;• State-wide professional development of teachers;• Professional development for pastors of Catholic Schools• Establishment of an “Intermediate School District (ISD)” structure in the State as a

resource tool for all Catholic Schools within the Diocese. An “ISD” structure refers to “Intermediate School District”. Such structures provide general educational services in professional development activities for administrators, teachers, and staff. Additionally, they serve as resource centers for instructional material and support. An “ISD” may also provide common resources for special education in schools.

Ongoing Projects

• Pursuing the hope of inviting Religious Sisters to teach in our Schools• Developing standards for Sacramental preparation in all schools• Evaluation of Liturgical practices in all schools• Attaching all parishes within the Diocese to the Alliance or to given schools• Examination of establishing a Diocesan Alumni Association• Facility review of all schools, to assist in capital planning as well as expansion or

consolidation

Through the generosity of a private donor, there are two staff members who have been hired on a temporary basis to assist with these and additional projects that are developed.

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